Pelleting with Puperabsorbent, Chitosan, and Phosphorus Fertilizer as a New Method to Improve Growth, Yield, and Physiological Attributes of Potato mini-tuber

Seed pelleting is a technique of covering seeds with adhesive agents to improve seed performance and plant establishment while reducing production costs. To evaluate the responses of potato superelite minitubers to different pelleting treatments both qualitatively and quantitatively, a 2-year experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications in Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran during 2018 and 2019. Experimental treatments included 17 different combinations of zeolite (ZE) or cocopeat (CO) fillers, coating (SC) or soil application (SS) of triple superphosphate, superabsorbent polymer (SP), and chitosan (CH). The results showed a significant effect of pelleting on yield, physiological, and qualitative traits. The highest fresh and dry tuber weight belonged to SS + ZE treatment, which showed 50.6 and 49.0% increase compared to the control treatment (without pelleting), respectively. Pelleting minitubers by ZE + SS had the highest fresh tuber and biological yield (23.6 and 28.0 ton.ha-1, respectively), which showed an increase of 156.5% and 145.6%, compared to the no pelleting treatment. Most pelleting treatments increased the leaf proline content and activity of the antioxidant enzymes. The highest peroxidase activity and lowest catalase activity (16.1 and 29.6 U.mg protein-1.min, respectively) were observed in the CO+SC+CHtreatment. Co-application of ZE, SC, and SP resulted in the highestprotein, nitrate, and starch content. In addition, minituber pelleting withZE+SS+SP increased methionine content significantly by 52.94%compared to the control. In general, the co-application of triplesuperphosphate, SP, and ZE increased the tuber yield and quality traits.Finally, the use of CH with these compounds resulted in improvingphysiological characteristics

Acidified Biochar Confers Improvement in Quality and Yield Attributes of Sufaid Chaunsa Mango in Saline Soil

Mango fruit quality plays a significant role in fruit storage. It also directly affects the economic value of fruit in the national and international markets. However, deterioration of soil health due to low organic matter is a major hurdle for mango growers. Scientists suggest incorporation of organic matter. However, high temperature and low precipitation lead to oxidation of organic residues in soil. On the other hand, biochar is gaining the attention of growers due to its resistance against decomposition. It can improve soil physicochemical attributes. Limited literature is available regarding biochar effects on the quality attributes of mango. Therefore, the current study was planned to investigate the effects of acidified biochar on mango quality and yield attributes in alkaline soil. Five levels of biochar, i.e., 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 Mg/ha, were applied in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Results showed that 20 and 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar significantly enhanced fruit retention, sugar contents, ash contents and TSS of mango compared to control. A significant increase in mango fruit weight and yield per plant validated the efficacious role of 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar over control. Furthermore, the maximum significant decrease in fruit juice acidity signified the imperative functioning of 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar in alkaline soil. In conclusion, 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar application can improve mango quality and yield attributes in alkaline soil. More investigations on different soil types, climatic zones and mango varieties are recommended to declare 40 Mg/ha acidified biochar as the best treatment for improvement in the quality and yield of mango fruit in alkaline soils